Thursday, January 11, 2007

The Quiet Before the Storm

Update -- January 11, 2007 5:10PSTThe NFL Network is reporting that Ken Whisenhunt is scheduled for a second interview in Phoenix on Friday.

Update -- January 11, 2007 1:10PSTThe experts at Pro Football Weekly are reporting that Mike Sherman is the choice for the head coaching position at Arizona.

While not going quite that far, ESPN's John Clayton describes Mr. Sherman's return to the desert, accompanied by his wife, as a "most interesting development."

Original PostingThe candidates have been interviewed, and now Steelers fans have . . . to . . . just . . . wait.

According to an article by Mike Prisuta in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the Steelers "are expected to conduct one or more follow-up interviews." Of the four candidates the Rooneys are known to have interviewed only one, Ron Rivera, is with a team that is still in the playoffs. If a second interview is to be conducted with Mr. Rivera it will have to wait until the Bears are eliminated from the playoffs (leave that to Rex Grossman).

In the same article Russ Grimm is described as having "emerged as one of the leading candidates -- if not the leading candidate -- to succeed Dennis Green." However, according to an article by Kent Somers for the Arizona Republic, there "are indications that [Mike] Sherman, who spent last season as the Texans' assistant head coach, has emerged as the leading candidate." The article goes on to report that Mr. Sherman, formerly the head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, and his wife flew to Phoenix on Wednesday.

As for Russ Grimm and/or Ken Whisenhunt, the Arizona Republic article has this to say:"The Cardinals interviewed eight candidates in eight days, concluding Tuesday with Russ Grimm, assistant head coach of the Steelers. Grimm and fellow Steelers assistant Ken Whisenhunt, also a Cardinals candidate, have interviewed for the Steelers job, which opened last week when Bill Cowher resigned.

That position would be their first choice, and the Cardinals might be delaying until the Steelers make a decision, perhaps in the next few days."